Sleepless Nights
by PrinRue
Summary: They both knew it would be hard to say goodbye; they just weren't expecting it to be THIS hard. Post dragon departure; h/c; Hiccstrid and LightLess; two-shot; FEELS
1. Hiccup

**Hello friends! Sorry it's been a while, I've had a pretty hectic month... **

**Anyway, I'm back with my next two-shot! In this one, we see how both sides of HTTYD's iconic friendship reacts the night they have to say goodbye. Takes place right after the dragons leave in THW. Sadness, hurt, and comfort ensue!**

**Enjoy chapter one!**

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CHAPTER ONE: HICCUP

Truth be told, he knew it would be hard. He just didn't know it would be _this _hard.

Hiccup turned over in his bed again, but that only made it worse. Because when his eyes scanned his tent, they fell upon the empty space where his best friend was supposed to be sleeping.

It was hard to believe. That after all those years, everything they'd been through, every moment they spent together… he was gone.

Of course, Hiccup knew it was the best thing for him; the only thing he cared about even more than spending time with Toothless was knowing he was safe. And Toothless was much safer in the Hidden World than he ever was with the Vikings. Yes, that made Hiccup feel at peace.

But that didn't mean Hiccup still didn't feel completely empty without him.

Toothless was Hiccup's other half. Sure, he had his mom, and he had his friends, and he had Astrid; but Toothless was his first real friend. Toothless was the first creature Hiccup ever truly loved. Toothless was the reason Hiccup was who he'd become. And without him… he felt lost.

[-0-]

Hours passed, and finally Hiccup accepted defeat. Slowly, he pushed away his blanket, then sat cross legged, resting his elbows on his knees and head in his hands.

He didn't know what to do. Normally when he was feeling upset, he would talk to Toothless, but Toothless wasn't there. He supposed he could go get Astrid, but he didn't want to bother her. Not for something as stupid as missing a dragon who'd been gone for less than a day.

He did know one thing, though: he couldn't stay in his tent any longer.

The young chief got up from his bed, threw open the cloth that served as a door for his tent, and began walking. Where he was going, he wasn't quite sure; just anywhere but there. If they were still on the Isle of Berk, he probably would've gone to the Cove. But he didn't even have that special place to visit anymore. He didn't know anything about this new island.

Soon, he found himself at a cliff. The cliff where Toothless had been captured at. The cliff where he and his friends had leapt off of to attack Grimmel. The cliff where the Light Fury had saved an unconscious Toothless. The cliff where he'd said goodbye to his best friend.

Overwhelmed, Hiccup yelled, kicking as hard as he could at a loose rock. He watched it sail over the edge of the cliff before falling to his knees, the ocean becoming blurry as he struggled to keep it together.

[-0-]

Hiccup wasn't sure how much time had passed, or even when Astrid had shown up. He was so lost in thought that he only noticed her presence when her soft footsteps were nearly upon him.

"Late night, huh?"

Hiccup jumped at the sudden sound. "Oh, Astrid, hi, Astrid, I- I was just, um…"

"Just sitting by yourself on the cold ground at the edge of a cliff?"

Hiccup turned back toward the ocean. "Yeah. That's all."

"You know, Hiccup," Astrid began, closing the space between them, "you've always been a terrible liar." She settled down to the left of her boyfriend. "Now what're you really doing out here so late at night?"

"Thinking."

"What a surprise." Astrid playfully hit Hiccup's arm, but unlike usual, he didn't respond. The girl's expression softened. "Really. What's wrong?"

Hiccup scoffed. "How could you not know? It's not like something life-changing happened today or anything."

Astrid looked down. It's not like she'd forgotten; how could she? She just didn't want to think about it. Unfortunately, her betrothed had the seemingly unstoppable habit of letting everything get to him, while Astrid tried to be the voice of reason. Though in all honesty, she was feeling just as crushed as him. "I know. I just didn't want to bring it up…"

The young chief was quiet, his eyes focused on the waves stretching out ahead of them. Then, after a minute, he broke the silence. "What am I gonna do, Astrid?" He looked down at his lap. "I mean, I knew it would be hard but… I can't stop thinking about him. I- I don't know how to move on. Which is crazy, considering I only knew him for six years, and that's really not a long time in the end. But… Toothless is more than just my dragon, and more than even just my friend. He… he's like a brother to me…" Hiccup trailed off, his closed up throat making it impossible to continue.

"I know. I… I feel the same way about Stormfly…" Astrid said, her own feelings beginning to swell up. Hiccup noticed this, and shook his head.

"Gods, I'm sorry, Astrid, I didn't mean to make you-"

"Stop, Hiccup, don't apologize." The young woman shifted her gaze back out to sea. "The truth is, I needed to hear that. And to finally say it out loud, instead of keeping it to myself."

"It's just… I feel so empty without him. Like I've lost a huge part of who I am. I try to think about what my life would've been like without Toothless, and I can't even imagine it. He changed everything, turned my world upside down, led me to becoming who I am today… and now… he's gone." Hiccup played with the buckles on his shirt, needing to do something to keep from losing it all.

Astrid sighed, wishing she could do something to comfort him. She thought for a moment, studying the blades of grass at her feet, then looked up. Maybe she _could _do something. "You're wrong, Hiccup. As dumb as it sounds, Toothless isn't gone. He's right here." She tapped her boyfriend's chest, right over his heart. "And here." She moved her hand to his head, then smirked as she said, "And maybe a little bit here," jabbing her knee into his prosthetic leg.

Finally the young man's expression broke and he smiled back, laughing a little. "Wow, you really don't beat around the bush, do you?" He said, the familiar edge of sarcasm returning to his voice.

"Not really my style," Astrid replied, relieved to see his smile return for the first time since they'd said goodbye.

The two quieted, leaning on each other, their words returning to their minds. After a minute, Astrid abruptly broke the silence.

"Let's get married."

Hiccup immediately sat straight. "What?"

"You heard me. I said let's get married."

"But- I thought you said we're nowhere near ready for that?"

"I know what I said but… I think I realized something today." Astrid took Hiccup's hand into hers. "We're better together than we ever would be apart. And while we've been together for three years now, I think we can only truly be our best by finishing what we started. And now that we're on our own… the people will need both of us. And… we'll need each other…" the young woman smiled sadly. "Hiccup… I really meant what I told you earlier. That I am the person I am today because of you. And it wasn't Toothless who gave you the ability to change me. It was just you."

Hiccup looked into his girlfriend's eyes, the blue orbs filled with emotion and sincerity. Then, he smiled back, squeezing her hand. "You know what, Astrid? You're right. About all of it. Toothless didn't make me a leader; he just gave me confidence to realize I always was. And he will always be with me. For as long as I live, he will too, within me. He's a part of me, my family, and family isn't something you can just forget about." He glanced back out to sea, where, somewhere, his best friend was safely hidden. "I'll do everything I can to make sure their memory lives on in us all. And I couldn't imagine a better woman to have by my side while I do."

"Then let's do it," Astrid said, before pausing for a moment. "Maybe not until the village is built, though." The couple laughed, putting their arms around each other before turning back toward the waves.

"Thank you, Astrid," Hiccup said quietly. "For always believing in me. I don't know what I'd do without you… or him."

"I know how much he means to you. You said it yourself; you two are brothers. And believe me, I'm sure he's feeling the same way…"

* * *

**And we segway directly into the next chapter:**

**I hope you liked my little headcanon there on how Hiccup and Astrid finalized their engagement :3**


	2. Toothless

**Enjoy the next (and last) chapter of Sleepless Nights. We head over to the Hidden World now, to see how Toothless is holding up. **

**I really tried for the parallelism with this story, much like I did in "Purpose", where it's almost the exact same wording for Toothless as it was for Hiccup. I just really freaking love parallelism XD**

**Enjoy!**

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CHAPTER 2: TOOTHLESS

Truth be told, he knew it would be hard. He just didn't know it would be _this _hard.

Toothless prepared a controlled flame to burn himself a bed, but that only made it worse. Because the quartz crystals of the Hidden World didn't catch in the way his stone slab in Hiccup's room did.

It was hard to believe. That after all those years, everything they'd been through, every moment they spent together… he was gone.

Of course, Toothless knew it was the best thing for him; the only thing he cared about more than spending time with Hiccup was knowing he was safe. And Hiccup was much safer alone in New Berk than he ever was with the dragons. Yes, that made Toothless feel at peace.

But that didn't mean Toothless still didn't feel completely empty without him.

Hiccup was Toothless' other half. Sure, he had his friends, and he had his dragons, and he had his mate; but Hiccup was his first real friend. Hiccup was the first creature Toothless ever truly loved. Hiccup was the reason Toothless was who he'd become. And without him… he felt lost.

[-0-]

Hours passed, and finally Toothless accepted defeat. He got up from his stone, being careful so as not to wake his sleeping mate. Silently, he slipped out of their small nook, stepping into the Grand Cavern of the Hidden World. He didn't know where to go, just that he needed to go somewhere else. Had he still been on the Isle of Berk, he would've gone to the Cove; but he didn't have that option anymore. He supposed he could always fly back there, but now that he had somewhere safe to live, the stakes of returning to the Archipelago seemed too high. So instead, he just extended his wings and began flying through the maze of caves.

Soon, he found himself soaring out of the Great Waterfall at the entrance to his new home. He knew he shouldn't go far, and risk being found by humans. But he also didn't want to stay for the time being. Thus, Toothless set down on a large rock near the entrance, still close to safety but far enough away that the mist from the waterfall couldn't reach him.

He looked out at the vast ocean. The ocean he'd once soared over with his best friend on his back. The ocean he'd crossed many a time in search of new lands and new dragons. The ocean he'd flown over when he fell in love with his mate. The ocean that separated him and his human once and for all.

Overwhelmed, Toothless let out a roar, stomping his foot on the rock. He listened to the noise echo and fade, before curling up on his perch, burying his head in his paws and wrapping his wings around himself.

[-0-]

Toothless wasn't sure how much time had passed, or even when his mate showed up. He was so lost in thought that he only noticed her presence when her soft footsteps were nearly upon him.

_"What are you doing out here?" _

_"Just thinking," _Toothless responded.

_"It's not safe, you know. You should come back inside." _

_"I know. Just a little while longer…" _

The Light Fury followed her mate's gaze out to sea, settling herself down on the rock beside him. _"...You're missing that human, aren't you?" _

_"Yes. Even if I know I shouldn't… I do. I really, really do." _Toothless looked down, hanging his head. _"He's more than just a human to me, or even just my best friend. He was my brother." _

_"I didn't believe it when I first met you. That a dragon could be so attached to a human. That _any _of those dragons could be. I thought I had to save you from them. But you… you would do anything for him, wouldn't you?" _

_"Anything," _Toothless affirmed without hesitating. _"Even if it meant leaving him behind…" _

The pair of dragons looked out at the crashing waves, the roar of the Hidden World's waterfall muffled behind them. Finally, Toothless broke their silence again.

_"I wish he was here." _

_"I know. I'm sorry he can't be." _

_"Why… why did you save him?" _

_"What?" _The female dragon turned toward her mate.

_"After you saved me. Why did you go back for Hiccup?" _

_"I don't know. It just seemed like… the right thing to do. Besides, he was going to sacrifice himself for you. I guess I couldn't let him die. Not when he means so much to you." _The Light Fury tilted her head. _"You know, I could ask you the same thing. Why didn't _you _let him die when you first met?" _

_"Hiccup and my story is quite long and complicated," _Toothless responded tersely.

Light Fury looked her mate up and down, taken aback by his short answer. For someone who he clearly loved so much, he didn't seem to want to tell much about him… Finally her eyes came to rest on the well-camouflaged device on his tail, and she figured it out. _"He did that, didn't he?" _She nodded toward his fin, and he followed her gaze.

_"Yes. It was an accident. But that's not why I didn't kill him." _Toothless returned his sight ahead of him. _"I didn't kill him because he had the opportunity to do the same to me, when I was injured and defenseless, but he didn't. So how could I end a creature who had spared me? _

_"Of course, that was before I knew what had happened to my tail. But I still don't regret a thing." _The Night Fury looked out toward where his best friend was, trying to imagine him happy and safe. _"He made me who I am today. Better. Stronger. Happier. He gave me the confidence to become the Alpha of all dragons. I never could have done that without him. And now, he's gone…" _

_"Well, from everything I've heard, he'll never really be gone. You seem to be pretty connected. And I… I don't want you to have to lose that connection." _

Toothless blinked at the ocean, taking in a deep breath. _"You're right. He is a part of me. And I know he'll never forget me…" _the dragon turned to his mate, giving her head an affectionate lick. _"Thank you. You're the best mate I ever could have asked for." _Then, he stood up, extending his wings once more. _"Now let's head home." _He took off, the Light Fury quickly following suit. And all the way back into the Hidden World, each time the light clicking of his tailfin sounded, Toothless felt a little closer to his faraway human.

* * *

**And done! I guess that's something that does bother me about this movie... HOW did Toothelss forget about Hiccup when he has a bit of a permanent reminder? Does he just think he was born with that clearly different tailfin? Anyway, that's not important haha. What's important is the FEEELS! **

**This is another one that made me cry while writing.**

**Hope you all enjoyed and will join me for the next one!**


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